No injuries from rough landing

Updated 10:34 pm, Friday, October 5, 2012

Albany International Airport Emergency personnel attend to a small aircraft at the end of the southern runway Friday evening, Oct. 5, 2012. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Albany International Airport Emergency personnel attend to a small aircraft at the end of the southern runway Friday evening, Oct. 5, 2012. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Image 2 of 4

Albany International Airport Emergency personnel attend to a small aircraft at the end of the southern runway Friday evening, Oct. 5, 2012. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Albany International Airport Emergency personnel attend to a small aircraft at the end of the southern runway Friday evening, Oct. 5, 2012. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Image 3 of 4

Albany International Airport Emergency personnel attend to a small aircraft at the end of the southern runway Friday evening, Oct. 5, 2012. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Albany International Airport Emergency personnel attend to a small aircraft at the end of the southern runway Friday evening, Oct. 5, 2012. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Image 4 of 4

Albany International Airport Emergency personnel attend to a small aircraft at the end of the southern runway Friday evening, Oct. 5, 2012. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

Albany International Airport Emergency personnel attend to a small aircraft at the end of the southern runway Friday evening, Oct. 5, 2012. (Will Waldron / Times Union)

No injuries from rough landing

1 / 4

Back to Gallery

COLONIE — A small plane taking off from Albany International Airport on Friday evening had engine failure and was forced to land on grass hundreds of feet away from the runway.

No one was injured when the airplane was taking off about 6:30 p.m. with two men on board, Sheriff Craig Apple said. The plane reached an altitude of about 300 feet before its engine failed and it began to fall.

It is unclear whether the plane's landing gear was able to fully extend.

Airport spokesman Doug Myers said the plane immediately touched down on a grassy area at the end of the airport's north-south runway known as the runway protection zone.

"It's a flat grassy area designed for that specific purpose in the event of aircraft losing power or running off the runway during landing," Myers said.

Several emergency vehicles surrounded the plane, filling the grassy area. People stopped to look at what had happened.

Myers said the north-south runway was closed while the Federal Aviation Administration investigated the incident. By 8:30 p.m. Friday, the agency had given clearance for the plane to be cleared from the area.

More Information

Officials did not release the identities of the two men on Friday night, but Myers said they were headed to Poughkeepsie.